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Friday, July 15, 2011

Bored stiff of H2O? Try coconut water, now available in plastic bottles and tetra packs at a growing number of food stores, as a more lively alternative. Gleaned from young green coconuts (don’t confuse it with coconut milk made from the pulp of mature nuts), coconut water has a tangy personality and one of the best natural sources of the blood pressure lowering electrolyte potassium. Because the electrolyte balance is very similar to that of human blood, coconut water has been used as IV fluid during war time.

Aqua de coco contains no added sweeteners so won’t give you Buddha-belly like other heavily high-fructose corn syrup sweetened drinks. When Tabi and I cycle in SouthEast Asia, we love rehydrating by dropping a straw into a fresh coconut. I am so happy it has become easier to enjoy this refreshing drink du jour back home.

Apart from chugging it straight up, coconut water is a great addition to smoothies. But you don’t always want to take the time to gather up all the necessary ingredients and toss them into a blender. These coconut green smoothie cups are your answer to a hurry up smoothie. Simply blend up all the ingredients, freeze them in muffin cups and place them in a Zip-top bag for later use.

Spinach adds a vibrant hue and plenty of nutrients but trust me, this smoothie does not taste like a salad bowl. There are plenty of flavor combos you could go with, so feel free to experiment at will.

I am a big fan of the coconut water from Zico. They recently launched a chocolate version that is really awesome.

Place the ingredients in the order listed in a blender container and whirl until smooth. Divide mixture among 12 muffin cups and freeze until solid. When ready for a refreshing drink, place 1 cup coconut water or regular water in a blender followed by two of the green cups and whirl. If you don’t have a powerful blender, you might need to cut the frozen smoothie cups into quarters first.

If you like these, perhaps you should try these chocolate coffee smoothie cups.

I love this idea and I'm planning on trying it, the only thing is that I've heard you want to make smoothies and drink them as soon as possible because the longer they're out, the healthy enzymes decay. Do you think freezing slows down that process?

Zico coconut water is my favorite too, although I haven't gotten bored with water just yet. However,I work at a health food store and Zico just sent us samples of the chocolate flavor. I have to say, you're right it's like chocolate milk but better. Can't wait to try it in a muffin tin!

Found this on Pinterest & it reminds me of the frozen fruit pucks I make for my kids' lunches....

Anyway, I'm thinking these would make a great addition to a regular fruit smoothie: 1 small banana, handful frozen berries, 1/2 c. water, plus 1 or 2 green smoothie cups. I usually just throw in a handful of fresh baby spinach for the added greens, but I love the idea of whipping up a whole batch of nutritious green smoothie cups to easily toss into my daily smoothies! Thanks for the recipe & idea! :)

I was very skeptical about some of the ingredients listed, esp. together but I'm always on the lookout for a healthy, make-ahead kind of meal so I went out and bought all the ingredients (def. not stuff I had just laying around!) and tasted it with apprehension and was very pleasantly surprised! I will def. be making this more in the future! Yum!

These are amazing - I made mine with half mango half pineapple (that's all I had in the freezer), and blend 2 frozen cups with half a banana and about 3/4 cup of soy milk which gives it a creamy texture. Delicious! Thank you!

This is delicious! I made mine with frozen plums (that's what I had on hand), basil instead of mint, and about 6 cups of spinach. YUM YUM YUM. What a great base recipe that can be made a variety of ways. THANK YOU :)

Thanks, here's the link so you can see for yourself. By the way, I love green smoothies every morning, but I haven't tried it with coconut water yet. I can't wait to try these.http://pinterest.com/jodyrogers/blendtec/

Wow, what a great idea. I'm always looking for ways to save time in the morning. I currently blend up my green smoothies the night before, but freezing them would keep them fresher I'm sure. Many thanks.

I tried these and absolutely loved them. What a great way to keep the recipe cool but not have to water it down too much with ice. I love the flexibility of adding these to my green thickie smoothies. Amazing!

Saw these on Pinterest and I'm intrigued. Is this something that would work if one is wanting to go on a Juice Cleanse for a few days? Have never done one before but have been hearing a lot about them and am looking for recipes.

Thanks for the quick reply, Matt. Looks like I will be getting more muffin tins in the morning. I think your recipe will help keep me motivated, particularly from the flavor and time saving perspectives.

I love green smoothies and juices but it is a huge process to make one batch and doesn't last long in the fridge. This idea is awesome. I made my first batch last week and my first drink this morning...so easy.

Good protein options include ricotta cheese, those cartons of pasteurized egg whites, a neutral tasting protein powder (something like a chocolate flavor would probably taste a bit funky in a green smoothie).

I have Keratosis Pilaris, and tried to use coconut oil as a remedy, but it made my skin much worse. Do you think I would have a reaction to coconut water? I am not very far into my journey to get healthy, and I am very intrigued by the benefits of coconut. I just don't like the way it tastes, so I was hoping that masking it in something like this would help. Any ideas?

I don't think you'll have the same problems with coconut water. Keep in mind that the benefits from the oil and water are different. Coconut oil contains mostly beneficial fats and antioxidants whereas the water is a lot of electrolytes. With these cups you really wont have any coconutty flavor.